Brand Strategy & Design
July 22, 2021
Your brand logo allows your customers to make an honest and authentic connection with your business and sets you apart from the competition. However, many businesses in Raleigh haven’t put much effort into tightening up their brand logo. The end result is an easily forgotten logo that does nothing to help increase business. Read on to learn more about how you can design a good brand logo for your Raleigh business.
Yep, we’re going to come out and say it at the very beginning of this blog post—hire a professional graphic designer, such as the ones from AlphaGraphics of Raleigh for the best chances of success. There’s also an understated benefit. An outsider, such as a graphic designer, might have a different perspective on your business. That is, they might notice something that you, as the owner, haven’t. They will be better able to capture the very essence and soul of your company. If, however, you still want to take a crack at designing your logo, here are a few tips for your consideration:
Try to avoid creating a logo that’s only relevant today, as you might need to update it in the future. It can cause confusion on the parts of your customers and is a pain to change everything over (business cards, brochures, signage, etc). To design a logo that will stand the test of time, consider the following four qualities: Relevant — A relevant logo is one where the logo isn’t carrying all the weight by itself. The colors, typography, fonts, images, and how they’re all laid out contribute to relevancy. Memorable — A good logo is a memorable logo. Simple — Simplistic designs are often more memorable than very fancy or complicated ones. Look no further than the golden arches from McDonald’s or the Apple logo for why simplicity is so important. Scalable — Keep your design scalable—meaning no matter the size of the logo, it still looks great.
What’s important to your target audience? For example, if you own a business that sells outdoor equipment, you might want to use some form of outdoor imagery, such as a mountain range or river. Try not to focus your logo design on your own personal tastes or design preferences. Remove “you” from the equation and focus solely on what matters most to your desired demographic. This will allow your audience to make a better connection with your logo.
Arial, Times New Roman, and Calibri are boring fonts. Consider searching online for custom-designed fonts. Yes, you may have to spend a few dollars to purchase a custom font but consider how it will set you apart from your competitors—who most likely are using one of the three standard fonts in their logos.
Adding ample whitespace to your logo helps keep it simple and easy to remember. It provides for a very clean look and enables you to avoid the cluttered look. Keep in mind that your logo should be recognizable to people in a fraction of a second. If they have to sit there and stare at it for a few moments, it means that it’s not working very well.
Look at the logos of your competitors. Write down the colors, fonts, and design choices that they’re using. This will help you avoid creating a similar logo which can cause confusion and potential trouble with the other business. It also pays to take a few to analyze what the competition is doing. Put in as much time as you need to research exactly what they’re doing with their logos and why they’re so successful—or not.
If you’re designing your brand logo, ask friends and family what they think about your design. Perhaps you’ve missed a few crucial details or aren’t using a suitable color scheme. You can create a questionnaire that they can fill out to help you gauge how others view your logo. For example, one of the questions can be: “What emotions does this brand logo design evoke in you?” If you survey your friends and family, you’ll get a much better idea of how well your proposed logo design is or isn’t working.
Designing and creating a new logo is both a science and art form. The above suggestions can help you dial in and refine the logo design process. If you have any questions or need help creating your logo, give us a call. If you’re a small business and need help with your marketing efforts, give AlphaGraphics of Downtown Raleigh a call. We’re more than just a print shop—We’re also marketing experts and can help you set up, create, and track your next email marketing campaign. To learn more about how AlphaGraphics of Downtown Raleigh can help with your sign and marketing needs, you may email us, request a quote, or call us at (919) 832-2828.